All There Is
by Koganeiro
Summary: AU L went into cardiac arrest while detective Yagami Raito was investigating him, and now Mello is suspected of stealing that elixir. He, Matt, and Near are living in an unideal way- On the run.
1. The Present

Just so you know, this is an introduction. I'm trying to make future chapters much, much more sizable.

This is the first Death note fan fiction I've written. Actually, I didn't imagine I would ever write one, honestly. Since I have the next chapter written up (much longer than this one by the way) but not typed up, it should be up in the next couple of days. If you're wondering where the 'supernatural' part comes in because you don't see it, you'll have to wait some chapters. How many? I haven't determined that yet.  
My apologies for OOC-ness.  
And I really don't own these guys, only the plot.

* * *

"Near," the snowy-haired genius looked up from where he was sitting on the ground at the sound of his companions voice. Of course, he was sitting in that strange position as usual, and that's how Matt found him when he looked over. The redhead was looking at him with distaste, his lips carefully positioned like there was still a cigarette hanging there between them. "You know what your job is, so get to it!" the words were snapped at near, but he wordlessly got up and walked off like it hadn't mattered. He entered to the woods to do their job while Matt prepared their sparse meal, Mello pitching their one-person tent.

Mello and Matt were both in major agitation and irritation from withdrawals, that was no secret. It had been weeks, easily, since the blonde had eaten a single piece of chocolate, or since the redhead played a video game or smoked a cigarette. What was worse to them was that Near didn't have those because his playing with toys wasn't an addiction, just habitual. The smallest fo the trio could handle not having any toys around (sometimes he'd fiddle with a branch or something, anyway), while Matt and Mello became more demanding, violent, and angry than usual. For Mello, someone had to wonder if that was possible.

For the past two or three months (or so), life had been like this mostly. On the go by day, eating and resting at night. The day was full of walking through forest, the outskirts of smaller towns, and abandoned back roads. At night they would rest two at a time, one person up at any given time. Life was exhausting and wearing.

As Near picked branches off the ground and tore dead ones from surrounding trees for firewood, memories came back to him. He didn't want to think of how this all started, but there it was...


	2. SevendyTwo Days Earlier

There, second (well, first REAL) chapter, if anyone is reading. Much linger than the introduction, even if it isn't very long in itself. To anyone reading, please enjoy.  
My apologies for the OOCness.

* * *

Near's presence was ghosting the halls of Wammy's place for the third time that day. People that met him in the halls usually strayed from him anyway, but today it was much more severe in that case. There was rushing urgency in his stride (at least considering the pace that Near walked at, anyway), and quite frankly, it was a little disturbing. It scared them, if only a little bit. The snowy-haired boy gave them no attention, for there was only one thing on his mind at the moment.

Mello. There was something on his mind that had to be told to Mello, for the blonde's own safety. If anyone but him told the possible-successor, at any other time, there was a bigger chance that he wouldn't get out in time. Yes, he and the green-eyed boy were rivals, no one close to even mild friends, and not friendly to each other at all. But, despite that, Mello was one of the people that Near was closest to out of everyone here. That, and it would be mean and unfair to tell him all the same. He knew Mello hadn't done it.

He quickly, yet silently, approached the door to the blonde's room that he shared with the redhead, Matt. For Mello's own sake, he had better be in there, because Near didn't know exactly where else to look, because wild guesses were just guesses. The gray-eyed boy gave no indication that he was coming in. No knocking on the door, no calling out Mello's name, he just invited himself right in.

"Fuck-!" Mello hadn't suspected anyone to come into his room without notice, least of all his rival. If anyone was to come in, it should have been Matt, not Near. But of course, someone just had to come in when he was relieving himself of any pent of 'tension' he was carrying, too. He ducked himself to the ground, out of view because of the bed, to pull his pants up. At the same time, he stepped away from the wall he had been pleasuring himself against. "Near! Have you not heard of knocking!" obviously, the blonde was quite pissed off with his rival, especially right now. Why did these things always happen to him? "Get out!"

Unfortunately for the chocoholic, the almost-albinic boy didn't seem to hear a word he had yelled, nor did he seem to care that there was a still-first erection in Mello's pants. "You need to leave as soon as you can, Mello," he told him, looking as emotionless as ever, as was his tone. Any urgency he had brought with him into the room and flown right out the window.

"The fuck you're talking about, Near?" the chocoholic spat, eyeing the young boy with distain. As if expecting that question, which he had, the pale hand reached a rolled up newspaper that was under his opposite arm, before holding it out his counterpart calmly. Still staring at the white-headed male, Mello snatched and opened the paper in one quick movement. It was obviously from today, and it was mostly because of the sickening-smell of fresh-printed paper, not the date.

To say he was surprised through hell and back to see his own face looknig back at him on the front page was an understatement.

Mello's green eyes skimmed over the cover page's top story, and, more importantly, also his inevitable impending doom. He wasn't really reading anything, just picking up between a word and three every couple of lines. By doing that he came to learn and realize: L was dead. He had, apparently, died from cardiac arrest. The detective that had been watching him, Japanese Yagami Raito, was now claiming that L had given Mello the elixir, and had probably done so long ago.

Well, quite frankly, _fuck._

Anyone that didn't know what this was about was either stupid, naive, or didn't like the news. About one year ago, a bank that didn't hold money, only incredibly valuable items to the government or rich individuals, had been reported robbed. An elixir was the only item reported to have been taken, one important to scientific research to the government. No one knew what the elixir was or what it was for, all people knew it that it was worth a couple billion itself and it was very delicate. The oddest part about this robbery was how bizarrely a thief got in and out undetected. That bank held some of the top security in the world, in both technology, computerization, and guards. It was impossible for it to be more than one person- even in a dup one of the two would have been caught for sure, and for a single person to be able to crack everything and evade every guard was also impossible to not get caught.

Yagami Raito, one of the top young geniuses of the world that was a detective had been assigned to this case. He made a public announcement that he suspected another detective himself, L, who had been visiting Japan at the time of the robbery incident. To both do some investigating on the case of his own, and to clear his name, L stayed behind in Japan, spending the better part of the year with detective Yagami, at least ten and a half months. And now, L was dead from cardiac arrest.

That was the quickest sum up, because if someone explained with less information there would be more questions than needed and many 'huh?'s from lack of information. L, for the longest time, had three would-be replacements (should anything happen to him): Near, Mello, and Matt, who all had the strongest feeling that there was something more going on than just that. It was sort of suspicious to them. However, they could gain no more information; anything the public released they already knew, and L himself would tell them nothing.

"Someone will be here to get you within twenty-four hours, Mello, most likely much less than that. You have to leave now," Near's voice and posture was the same as usual, his slate-gray eyes staring dully. There was still a little urgency left in the aura of the room, but so little it was barely urging Mello at all. "You have to leave," he repeated, this time adding on, "I'll make sure Matt joins up with you at a forest about a mile east from here."

"And what if I don't leave?" the blonde sneered, his green eyes glaring over at the snowy-haired boy.

"Then they'll catch you, but that won't be my problem,"with those final, stoic words, Near left his rival's room without looking back, the door slowly and silently clicking shut behind him. It was as simple as if Mello wouldn't help himself, he wouldn't help Mello. It was strange he was really helping him at all in the first place.

More than just a little angry and irritated (well beyond that), the chocoholic watched the youngest of the successors leave his room without any words of goodbye. His picture in the newspaper still stared back up at him, making the second-in-line give in to letting his his eyes ravish the whole headlining story. He read it several times over, as if to make sure the words were real, before coming to the conclusion that it was all true. He was being blamed for having possession of a valuable item that he only vaguely knew about, not to mention that if detective Yagami didn't reach him first, there would probably be a price on his head, too.

Mello figured you didn't know the real meaning of 'life fucking sucked' by now unless you were him. It had always been little things before, like running out of hot water during showers, and breaking plates by accident. But this was on a whole new level that was so extreme it shouldn't have even existed. If he left, he'd possibly be out there to fend for himself, unable to live anywhere because everyone would know and recognize him. If he stayed, he was in huge, goddamned, fucking piles of shit with the authorities, and probably quite soon.

"This fucking sucks," he spat, mumbling to himself. The window was opened by him, sliding along almost noiselessly, so that he could climb out. If he stayed, he might nto have enough time to grab food and make it to safety. Who knew how long he would be hiding? Fuck, why was life so unfair to him?

"Near!" Matt burst into the room of the toy-lover, flinging himself inside in such a rush that the door was tossed open fast enough to slam into the wall. Even with his name being yelled and the door slamming (possibly cracking) the wall, the only reaction the younger of the two successors gave was picking up any of his toys that had toppled onto the floor due to vibrations. "Near, Mello is gone!"

"I know," was the emotionless reply, the pale fingers standing up the last fallen-over toy. Behind the orange goggles that the third-in-line always wore, blue eyes widened fiercely. "I told him to leave," he added, almost like an afterthought.

"Why did you do that?" the redhead near yelled, cigarette hanging dangerously low from his masculine lips. More than just a little pissed off, he entered the almost completely-white room (save for Near's multi-colored toys) with much thunder. Near was well-reasoned in almost everything he said or did, but if this was an exception, he would get _throttled._ That was a silent promise that hung in the air.

:Haven't you read or heard about today's news?" he asked in monotone, eyes unblinking that the toys he was gracefully guiding around with his hands. Taking Matt's silence as a no, he went on t explain (in the same monotone), "L recently went into cardiac arrest. Detective Yagami has told the public that the elixir he had supposedly stolen was passed onto Mello. Honestly, I would have suspected the police, or Raito Yagami himself would have been here by now.

There were heavy moments of silence between them after the explanation. It took a while before the redhead was able to open his mouth wide enough to ask, "Seriously?" Of all the things to happen, of all the reasons for Mello to leave unexpectedly, it was something like this? It would have at least been safer for the blonde if Mello ran off just because he felt like it...

There was a queasiness in his throat, before Matt felt sick to his stomach.

"I have no reason to like to you, Matt, you know that," Near informed him. "I also told him that you would be meeting him at midnight so you could run away together, because I know you would."

"...Where is he?" he asked, swallowing a few chunks of vomit that threatened to come up from his throat.

"You plan on leaving right away?"

"Of course!"

"That is a completely foolish and rash course to take, Matt. What will the two of you do without any food, water, or shelter? What about extra clothing? If you bring nothing, you'll be thoughtlessly be putting the two of you in vulnerability of disease, starvation and thirst."

"Fine, I get what you're saying," and Matt left the room. Unexpected to the older of the two teenagers, Near had wordlessly gotten up and followed. "What do you want now?"

"I have decided to help and go with you two. Besides, you don't even know where you're going."

"Near—"

"You know you have no choice, you need me with you. If it wasn't for me, Mello would still be here, unsuspecting of any danger. Do you still plan to leave without me?" a tad grumpy about it all, Matt made a grunt in reply that wasn't happy, but he didn't protest in words. Whether it was really a yes or no, it wouldn't have really mattered, anyway.

The two successors barely exchanged any words between each other for the next couple of hours. Not that there was much more to say in the first place, and most of their time was spent away from each other, so words weren't physically possible, anyway. During that time, they were sneaking around so no one would have any idea of what they really doing. It's not like they could run around saying "Hey, gonna get some supplies, running off with Mello. See ya later!" Collecting needed items wasn't hard, just increasingly annoying, especially for Matt. Near took his time, not seeming to care.

Sneaking around lightweight and compactable foods, a pair or two of extra clothing each, and backpacks were one thing. But when it came to the tent and sleeping bags that they found after much snooping around, sneaking around these heavier, noisier, and larger objects was a bit harder. It required more patience than Matt wanted to give.

That evening proved to be a little uneasy and unsettling. It was finally reaching the redhead's mind the whole reason for this, and the outcome of it all, sinking itself in. Mello was running away as a criminal, and once people had found out that he and Near had fled with him, they'd also be wanted and charged for helping out such a well-wanted criminal.

It donned on his mind that he might want to take a few packs of cigarettes with him, when else was he going to get more? He finished off the current one in his mouth, shoving a few packages into the bag he would be carrying. While on that thought, he opened up the backpack Mello would have to lug around, and retrieved a dozen or two chocolate bars from where he hid them all. Denying that guy of chocolate was dangerous; a one way ticket to hell and back, and then more hell on earth.

Matt wasn't quite sure when they were leaving, or where they were meeting up with their not-so mellow fellow. The only thing he could do was keep himself confined in his room with the supplies until near came to get him. Impatient, and feeling it was too quiet, he brought out his Nintendo DA to play some games. Passing the time with games was the best way to go right now. Beeping noises, typical game music, and the soft noise of buttons being repeatedly tapped by his fingers helped to break the silence that had been so thick in the room.

Near, elsewhere in the huge establishment, watched the clock change from 11:04 to 11:05. Perhaps now would be the time they should leave; they'd need some extra time to sneak around unnoticed and be quiet. Strapping on a watch he found earlier, he stood up from the edge of the bed. It didn't even creak. The only noise as he left the room was the click of the door opening and closing. Not even his footsteps would permit an audible sound.

Barefooted, he made his way down the halls, making his way to Matt's room. Every other room that he passed had their lights off, and was either empty or quiet enough to make the average person wonder if the people inside were dead. Hopefully Roger was also sleeping. The soft noise of Matt's door being opened and closed was drowned out by the music from his game, unaware that 'number one' had entered the room. Not wanting to surprise the redhead and make a racket, he moved up in front of back, and covered the screen with his hand.

For once, without quarrel, the portable console was shut off in silent acknowledgement, DS put aside. Without either successor saying a word to the other, the gamer opened the window, Near moving to get the bags (and other things that wouldn't fit inside) from under the bed, where they were out of sight. Matt climbed out, dropped a short distance, and landed with a soft 'swoosh' in the grass. One by one, near lowered the sleeping bags, tent, and backpacks to the redhead to set on the ground, along with some rope. All of that down, Near clambered out, caught and set down by Matt.

Shutting the window, Matt knew that now was the time for final decisions. He could either open that window up and climb right back in, or live a possibly large portion of, or the rest of his life as an outlaw.

Mello didn't have that damn elixir, though, he knew that for sure. Damn that bastard Raito Yagami for framing him without any proof. So, for Mello, matt would become an outlaw. That's just the way they'd be living life from now on.

Near was busy taking what he could carry and putting it on his back, tying the sleeping bag and tent on securely with the rope. Matt, meanwhile, was taking the other sleeping bag, and goth his and Mello's backpacks. It was quite a load to carry, considering Near's backpack was the smallest and Mello's would be the largest. Thankfully, unless it broke his spine, it wouldn't give him back problems because he'd only be carrying it for around an hour. It was oast eleven now, and they were supposed to meet up with the chocoholic roughly at midnight.

The two of them trucked along in silence, trying to avoid any attention that was possible to hit their way. It was a tad of a challenge, trying to make themselves look unobvious but unsuspicious at the exact same time while carrying such loads around. Besides, it took them a bit longer than they would have hoped, but a mile was really only a mile. They reached the forest Near had told Mello to wait at after what felt like a long time, but was a lot shorter than it seemed. There was no one around, not even Mello was waiting.

"He's probably waiting inside where he can't be seen," near said right away, before Matt could ask, stepping up to the dense forest. With an inaudible sigh, the gamer followed. Branches, leaves, twigs and plants reached out and clung to them along the way. By the time they found Mello in a small clearing, their clothes and hair was tangled with smaller branched, and Matt's cheek was scraped.

"What is he doing here?" Mello asked his friend, looking at Near with heavy loathing, watching him take the tent off of his back. Mello's backpack joined it on the ground in front of the chocoholic himself. Near's blank eyes were looking off elsewhere.

"He wanted to come," Matt said with a shrug. Mello took up the tent and backpack. This was it. They were running away, off to live a life as wandering criminals.


End file.
